Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Junk-Free July

Thanks to this post on John Stone's blog I decided it's time to shake things up. The picture of the burger along with the caption about rationalizing food after exercising really struck me. I've done that way too many times. So with the baby coming in September, and several tough events (tough meaning there will be lots of food) on the horizon, it's time for Junk-Free July.

The main culprit for me is sugar. I love sweet, sugary sugar. It tastes good in my mouth. Therefore the plan of attack will center around processed sugar. I'm not going to obsess over main dishes when dessert is my arrow to the knee. Oops, I mean Achilles heal.

I already know the three hardest days. And since one of them is August 4th, my original plan (which I thought up in my brain) has been extended. JFJ will go from 11:59pm on Saturday, June 30th until 8am Monday, August 6th. This means one thing for sure: Cold Stone on Saturday night. Yes, I am going out like that.

Why July? Many reasons.

1. It's the first month to start since I decided to do this. Duh.
2. I still need to read the book July, July by my favorite author
-Side note: I will read this book in July. It was the last gift my Grandmother ever gave me, and it's about damn time I read it.
3. July will feature a birth (probably, it could be June) and several gatherings but it's not the birthday filled madness that August-February is for our families.
4. Summer is the easiest time for me to eat healthy. Veggies are everywhere, the heat makes it easier to eat less, and going outside is often a pleasure (I may revise this when it's 100 degrees and humid on Friday and Saturday).
5. Five weeks seems like a good amount of time to try and change my habits with regard to sugary desserts and drinks.
6. Alliteration.

So here are the rules, which I swear I'm not making up as I go along:

Activities
-Read July, July before the August 6th deadline
-Walk 2 miles minimum at a time at least twice a week for the 5 weeks of this plan
-Average at least 8,000 steps a day for this time period
-Continue back exercises as per Doctor's orders
-Keep working towards a clutter-free, baby-ready house
-Take care of Kacey as best I can
-Weigh in before and after

Cheat Meals
-None
-Ever
-Really, stop it

Allowed items
-Raw Revolution bars that we get at the Friendly City Food Coop (yes they have agave nectar and cocoa in some bars, but it's natural and oh shit the Food Coop is right next to Klines) (also, shut up)
-Quest Protein Bars (another h/t to John Stone for introducing so many of us to these amazing bars)
-Medium cereals, aka Multi-Grain Cheerios and others of that ilk (while Bran-tacular Gut Bombs may be encouraged, I'm allowing myself a little bit of wiggle room)
-Flavored, carbonated water (with natural flavors only)
-Fruit, frozen or fresh, as this will be my dessert replacement
-Unsweet almond milk
-Gum